Page 59 of When the Angel Falls First

The bell jingledover the door, and I saw Caleb’s wide smile heading in our direction. Not wanting to disturb Fred’s concentration, I quickly raised a finger to my lips, signaling Caleb to stay quiet. He froze, mid-step, then nodded.

A wave hit me as he tiptoed to the counter, that it might be the sexiest thing on the planet to see a divine being try not to break a CPA’s concentration. Or maybe it was just that he was walking in front of the dictionaries we defiled during our evening of reckless debauchery.

They’d still been in the box—they were fine. But they would always bethose dictionariesto me. Just walking past them sent a tingle through me, as if my clit wanted to remind me of exactly how well we’d been treated.

Fred was hunched over my tablet, his fingers clicking away on the Bluetooth keyboard in a steady rhythm. Finally, with an exaggerated flourish, he struck the enter key, and his face broke into a triumphant grin.

“Done!” he declared.

Caleb and I exchanged a glance, a spark of hope kindling between us. Fred turned, finally noticing Caleb in front of him.

“Caleb! Good to see you again, man.” Fred extended his hand, his professional demeanor on full display. Caleb took it, shaking it firmly.

“Likewise. And it sounds like you’ve had a breakthrough.”

Beaming, Fred launched right into it. “I had to rework the existing status registered at inception but considering that we were within the guidelines as published in the most recent bulletin for non-dangerous goods, I couldn’t see any reason for a notwithstanding clause?—”

He paused and seemed to notice the blank expressions on our faces.

“Let’s just say I’ve tackled the immediate issue. Josie, you won’t be losing the Bookish Cat anytime soon.”

A whoop of joy escaped from Caleb, so loud that even Fred and I jolted. “I knew it! I knew things would turn around,” Caleb said, his smile infectious. “We are on a roll today!”

Hope fluttered in my chest. “The cats?”

“Cats?” Fred stood taller. “You’ve got some furry-shmurry-cuddly-fluffballs?”

Caleb and I stared at Fred, mouths open.

“What?” He shrugged. “I friggin’ love cats.”

I laughed. Today was becoming so much more than I could have expected. “Youdo?”

“Sis, you and I have a lot to catch up on. But first, what’s the deal with the cats?”

I explained about how Matilda, Gatsby, and Heathcliff had taken up residence here, leaving out the parts where I was pretty sure they had some magic up their paws. Fred and I were only just reconnecting, and I couldn’t see him being at one with the supernatural. Though I clearly had much to learn about him.

Fred’s eyes widened when I told him about how Mr. Anderson had them taken away, and that I’d had to focus on the tax issues before going on a quest to find where they’d ended up.

“And that’s where I came in,” Caleb said with a smile. I threw him a look that I hoped saidplease don’t let on that you’re an angel, but fortunately Caleb kept it all human-friendly. “But a private investigator needs to keep some secrets.”

“So, you have news about the cats?” I bit my lip, and Caleb’s eyes flashed at the movement. He wet his own lips before continuing.

“Not yet, but I think we will soon.” With a smug look, Caleb added, “Let’s just say that love is in the air.”

TWENTY-FOUR

Caleb

I was flyinghigh on a wave of excitement that we had nearly resolved Josie’s problems. We only had the hurdles of physically getting the cats back and Mr. Anderson giving the thumbs-up to our fixes. That excitement was pushed even higher as I watched her exchange an emotional goodbye hug with Fred after he gathered up his things.

“I really can’t thank you enough, Fred. You’ve saved my bacon, truly.” Josie’s hands were clasped in front of her, her aura soft with love and hope that I hadn’t sensed in her before when dealing with her brother. My heart was singing at the reconciliation, so sweet after so many years of strife.

This is what cupids live for.

“Your bacon is worth saving, sis.” He hugged her again, patting her head lightly before letting her go one last time. “From now on, just send me your receipts every month, and we’ll keep things straight.”

“Thank you. Seriously.”

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